Many people are interested in the question of what worm eggs look like, because cases of infection with parasites are not uncommon. Infestation usually occurs through the entry of worm eggs into the human body. This can happen through dirty hands, food, and contact with pet feces and hair. If a parasitic infection is suspected, the person tries to detect worm eggs in the feces on their own. But it is impossible to see the eggs with the naked eye, they are microscopic in size and can only be detected when analyzing feces.
Roundworm infestation
Roundworm infection occurs when eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, poorly fried meat and fish. Infestation from dirty hands is possible, especially in children. The worm's habitat is the human intestine
Ascaris eggs can only be seen under a microscope. They are very small (about 0. 07 mm). Adult worms are also very difficult to detect in feces. Only after taking anthelmintic medications do particles of dead worms leave the intestine. They look like translucent elongated inclusions.
Only a microscopic examination of feces will help determine the presence of roundworm eggs. The eggs are yellow formations with a shell covered with tubercles. Sometimes an embryo is visible in fertilized eggs. They are very resistant to environmental influences and can exist outside the human body for many years.
Ascaris eggs
As it is very difficult to detect traces of the presence of roundworms in the body, you must be aware of the symptoms of invasion: sudden increase in body temperature;
- skin rashes;
- choking and coughing (sometimes with blood);
- muscle spasms;
- joint pain.
These manifestations are associated with the effect of roundworm allergen on the body. If such symptoms are detected, it is necessary to do a fecal test to detect worm eggs.
Where to go if you suspect worms?
If you suspect a helminth infestation, you should make an appointment with an infectious disease specialist. In the early stages, helminthiasis does not have specific symptoms, so it is very difficult to suspect that you or a loved one has worms. As a rule, the patient complains of slight malaise: indigestion, headache, apathy.
If symptoms do not disappear within a week or the condition returns periodically (for example, once every 3-4 months you feel unwell), consult your doctor. Attacks of health problems can be associated with the migration of parasites.
Pinworm infection
Pinworms can be contracted through casual contact with a sick person (through shared objects, handshakes). People often get infestations from cats and dogs; Worm eggs live in pets' skin. Children are especially susceptible to this disease. A child can become infected with these parasites in kindergarten or from animals. Pinworm eggs can be found on any object the patient has come into contact with. They can be found under fingernails, in toys, bedding and underwear. Therefore, it is very easy to get infected with worms.
moth eggs
Pinworms lead to the development of a disease called enterobiasis. Signs of infestation are as follows:
- itching in the rectal outlet region;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- sudden weight loss;
- flatulence.
Pinworm eggs are not excreted in feces. The parasites multiply in the anal region, where they lay their eggs, which causes itching. To detect the presence of these worms in the body, the skin of the anus is scraped and the material removed is microscopically examined. This analysis is often required when a child is enrolled in kindergarten. The scraping is done in the morning, before washing the child, so as not to remove the parasite eggs. Perform a triple analysis over several days. Moth eggs under a microscope look like oblong particles of white cereal.
Adult pinworms can be found in the feces of children and adults. They are small white worms about 0. 5-1 cm long with a pointed end of the body.
Folk remedies for helminths
For diphyllobothriasis, folk remedies should be used only after consultation with a doctor. They should not replace drug treatment, but only complement it. The most used recipe is with pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin seeds have a detrimental effect on many helminths, including tapeworms. They contain cucurbitin, a substance that destroys parasites. The seeds are ground with a coffee grinder or blender and then diluted with water until a paste is formed. For adults, 300 g of seeds will be required, and for children - from 50 to 100 g. The prepared product is consumed in the morning on an empty stomach for 1 hour. After that you should not have breakfast. After 3 hours you need to take a laxative and after another 30 minutes do an enema.
When the parasite comes out in the feces, it needs to be examined. You should pay attention to whether there is a head at one end of the body. If it is not there, it means that only the segments have come out and the parasite can grow back in the body and release eggs. In this case, the course of treatment must be repeated.
Whipworms
This type of parasite is quite rare in the central part of our country. Whipworms usually live in southern regions, as the eggs of this worm love the heat. Most infections are seen in rural areas.
Whipworm eggs live in the soil. Infestation occurs through hands, contaminated soil particles and poorly washed vegetables and fruits.
As a result of infection, a disease occurs - trichocephalosis. Whipworm parasitizes the intestines. This worm causes anemia, as it feeds on human blood, and severe abdominal pain.
Whipworm egg
The parasite eggs are excreted in feces, but they are very small and cannot always be seen under a microscope. Only with very serious infestations is it possible to detect eggs in a fecal examination. They are barrel-shaped and brownish-yellow in color. There are holes on both sides of the egg.
What do worms in stool look like? They are very difficult to detect alive in feces, since whipworms cannot live for long outside the human body. Only with anthelmintic therapy can you notice dead white worms in the stool.
To diagnose trichuriasis, the rectum and sigmoid colon are examined with a special device (sigmoidoscopy). In this way, accumulations of parasites in the intestines are detected. Treating the infestation takes time, as the whipworm eggs are protected by a dense shell.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
When diagnosing many helminth infections, a fecal examination is first performed. If you find black dots in your stool or white worms in your stool, this test should be done as soon as possible.
However, not only stools with black dots are an indication of a coprogram. Often, even eggs that are invisible to the eye can be easily identified under a microscope. A more accurate diagnosis of feces through the detection of helminth DNA particles is made using the PCR technique.
If a person has a lot of black dots in their stool, other diagnostic methods include the following:
- Shaving the area close to the anus;
- Blood tests using ELISA, PCR, RNGA and other methods;
- Be sure to do blood chemistry and a complete blood count;
- To identify the location of the parasites, in some cases ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography are performed;
- To diagnose the migratory phase of helminths, radiographic examination is indicated.
For certain forms of helminthiasis, examination of sputum, rectal mucus, urine and gallbladder contents can be performed. Endoscopic examination is also sometimes used for diagnosis.
Trichinella
This is one of the most dangerous types of roundworms. Trichinella parasitizes human muscles. Severe infestation sometimes leads to death.
Trichinella enters the body through consumption of poorly processed meat from wild and domestic animals. Worms are only destroyed at very high temperatures (around 80°C). Worms can be found in salted or smoked meats; this treatment does not kill their larvae.
Possible infection from undercooked meat
The parasite eggs cannot be detected in the human body. The female Trichinella carries the eggs inside her body and then the larvae are born. These are worms that reproduce in an ovoviviparous way. It is impossible to detect Trichinella in feces. Newly hatched larvae immediately enter the blood and lymph, bypassing the intestines. The larvae die quickly in the feces.
The disease is usually diagnosed when the parasite manages to enter the muscles. In this case, the person is bothered by the following symptoms: muscle pain;
- swelling;
- feverish state (high temperature, pain, malaise);
- irregular bowel movements with constipation or diarrhea.
To detect the invasion, a blood test with a serological test is performed. This is the only method to detect Trichinella in the body.
An article for patients with a disease diagnosed by a doctor. It does not replace a medical consultation and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.
Wide tapeworm
The human body contains only immature tapeworm eggs. They are excreted in feces and enter the external environment. With untreated wastewater, the eggs end up in bodies of water and begin their development there. First they end up in the bodies of freshwater crustaceans. Reservoir fish become infected with tapeworms when eating small crustaceans. And a person gets a helminthic infestation by eating infected and poorly fried fish from fresh water bodies or raw pike caviar.
Broad tapeworm eggs
The disease diphyllobothriasis occurs, which is manifested by the following symptoms: pain in the abdominal cavity;
- nausea and vomiting;
- intestinal problems (constipation or diarrhea);
- loss of appetite or excessive hunger.
What do tapeworm helminths look like? This is a large parasite that can reach 10 m in length. In feces, only individual living parts (segments) of the worm can be found, looking like long white ribbons (from 30 cm to 3 m). They must be removed from the feces with tweezers, transferred to a clean container and taken to a parasitologist or infectious disease specialist for analysis.
Microscopic examination of feces may reveal tapeworm eggs. Its size is about 0. 07 mm. The eggs look like yellowish oval formations covered with a thick shell. One end of the egg is covered by a lid and the other end by a bulge.
Worm larvae can be passed in feces, but are not dangerous. Diphyllobothriasis cannot be contracted by an infected person or animal. Infestation occurs exclusively through the consumption of fish.
Harm to the body
When a large tapeworm enters the intestine, the disease diphyllobothriasis develops. The helminth mainly affects the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammation and ulcers form on the intestinal walls where the worm attaches. If there is not one, but several parasites in the body, they can obstruct the intestinal lumen, resulting in obstruction. Helminth constantly irritates the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to disturbances in digestive processes. In addition, it poisons the human body with waste products, which causes allergies. When the parasite remains in the body for a long time, severe anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency occur.
Bovine and pork tapeworm
People become infected with these types of parasites by consuming poorly processed meat from domestic animals. The worm segments are excreted in the patient's feces. In the external environment, the segments move through the soil and deposit eggs with larvae inside. These eggs are then ingested by pets. When a person eats contaminated beef or pork, they become infected with beef or pork tapeworm. To kill tapeworms, you need to boil or fry the meat for at least 30 minutes.
Bull tapeworm
The bovine tapeworm causes teniarinchiasis and the swine tapeworm causes taeniasis. The symptoms of these diseases are similar: abdominal pain;
- constant feeling of hunger;
- nausea and vomiting;
- weakness;
- weight loss;
- diarrhea;
- itching in the anal region when the segments come out.
The worms in the patient's stool are shaped like segments. It looks like light stripes about 1-2 cm long. Pork tapeworm segments are longer and consist of 3 segments.
When analyzing feces, tapeworm eggs (oncospheres) are detected. These are round formations with a dense shell, inside which there is an embryo.
Pork tapeworm infection is possible through dirty hands, without an intermediate host. The segments excreted in the patient's feces are dangerous. They can enter the human body from contaminated soil. In this case, pork tapeworm larvae multiply in the human body and cause a serious disease - cysticercosis. This is a very dangerous invasion. The larvae enter the brain, spinal cord, eyes, heart and lungs, causing serious damage. In cysticercosis, the segments and eggs are not excreted in the feces. The disease can only be detected through a serological blood test and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.
Classification
Modern medicine classifies the worms that parasitize the human body as follows: Luminal. These worms live in the intestinal lumen. These include broad tapeworm, dwarf and bull tapeworm, hookworm, moth, whipworm, roundworm, etc.
Tissue. These worms choose muscle and lung tissue, as well as organs such as the pancreas, liver, brain, etc.
Depending on where exactly the tissue helminths are located, the invasion may have the following names:
- Filariasis. Parasites live in lymph nodes
- Cysticercosis. The area of the brain affected by helminths
- Echinococcosis. Helminthic infestation is diagnosed in the liver
- Paragonimiasis. Parasites live in the lungs
Worms
Of the worms in the fluke class, cat fluke (liver fluke) is most often found in humans. The habitat of worm eggs is fresh water. From there, the parasite enters the body of the mollusks and then the fish. Cats and people become infected by the worm when consuming poorly processed freshwater fish, as well as through contaminated water. A sick cat does not pose a danger to humans.
Burgundy liver with parasites
Most often, fish from the carp family are infected. Salting or smoking does not lead to the death of the parasite. A fairly long heat treatment of the product is required. You can become infected with the worm by accidentally swallowing water from a lake or river. There are known cases of invasion after irrigation of beds with contaminated water.
Cat worm attacks the liver. There is pain in the abdominal cavity on the right side, nausea, vomiting, fever. During a medical examination, an increase in the organ is detected.
Adult worms are not excreted in feces. What do worm eggs look like under a microscope? When examining feces, you can see transparent ovals with a golden shell. On one side of the egg is a plug that opens when the larva hatches. For diagnostic purposes, a blood test is additionally performed to detect antibodies or an immunoenzymatic assay.
How to find out if there are worms?
It is impossible to independently determine the presence of helminth infestation. In the early stages, the disease can be practically asymptomatic. The patient does not feel pain, the immune system can suppress the pathogenic effects of toxins and allergens for some time. As a rule, exacerbation begins during the period of larvae migration or with an increase in the number of worms. The stronger the infestation (i. e. , the more parasites), the more symptoms appear.
However, the asymptomatic course of the invasion is dangerous - the patient infects others and his health gradually worsens. To detect the disease, it is necessary to undergo preventive examinations periodically in the hospital. As part of prevention, the therapist prescribes examinations for worms at least once a year. If you live in an endemic region - once every six months.
What can be seen with the naked eye?
As some parasites are very small in size, it is not always possible to detect their presence in the body just by the presence of eggs in the feces. Some parasites are microscopic in size and live hidden in the body, without betraying their presence. Furthermore, they are not always located in the intestines and are capable of migrating throughout the body. Therefore, to diagnose parasitic infections, they resort to serological tests, which are based on the antigen-antibody immune reaction.
All parasites look different, have their own specific development cycles, different symptoms of infestations and differences in treatment regimens. However, there are several symptoms that may indicate a parasitic infection in a person:
- rapid weight loss;
- intestinal disorder: diarrhea replaces constipation;
- intense itching in the anus;
- skin rashes of unknown etiology;
- stomachache;
- flatulence;
- loss of appetite;
- inexplicable craving for sweets;
- sometimes uncontrollable appetite in adults;
- frequent colds due to a decrease in the body's defenses.